Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Malangi was repeatedly asked to depict the funeral scene or ‘dollar note story’ and began to develop ‘aspect’ paintings, focusing on elements of the story in the absence of the central narrative.

Aspect paintings of the white berry tree were developed with a focus on the tree, surrounded by animals to set the scene before the arrival of the Hunter and his subsequent death and funeral.

In this body of work Malangi employed various compositional devices, through the juxtaposition of forms and colours; rows of white berries were placed against alternating yellow and black leaves or, more abstract still, the berries expanded to fill the entire picture plane.

The paintings have a ‘singing’ quality akin to the shimmer, known as bir’yunin paintings by fellow Yolngu artists, aspiring to formally convey their spiritual source. The compositions are captivating and complex. One can appreciate the shapes and the textures and the palpable application of paint. In these paintings Malangi crosses the boundaries of Yolngu and Balanda [Indigenous and non-Indigenous] art as a painter in the company of painters everywhere.